T-bolt



June-I1 1965 B. A. cURRY 3,186,293

'If-'BOLT Filed sept. 14, 1962 INVENTOR B; A. uRRY FlG.` 5 BY AToRNEv the insertion of the T-bolt. Y

The T-bolt, designated as a whole at 10, is preferablyl United States Patent O 3,186,293 T-BGL'I- Bernard A. Curry, 1924 N. Michigan, Davenport, Iowa Filed Sept. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 223,770 i 2 Claims. (Cl. 85 9) Y This invention relates to a fastener of the T-biolt type which has its principal utility in the assem-bly of components having fastener-receiving slots therein.

One example of a particularly advantageous use of this n-ovel fastener is the attachment of license plates to Vehicles. In the usual type of fastener, insertion of the bolt must bemade from beneath and behind the bumper and despite the use of rust-proof plating etc., it is Very often necessary to use one tool on the bolt head behind the bumper and another tool on the nut ahea-d of the plate, all of which makes it an unpleasant task.

According to the present invention, these disadvantages are eliminated by a T -bolt which can be installed entirely from the front, making it unnecessary to reach beneath and behind the bumper. The threaded shank of the T- bolt has a polygonal head rigid thereon which can be held with one tool from in front while the nut, threaded onto the shank between the head and cross bar of the T-bolt can be manipulated with another wrench, also in front of the plate. An appropriate mark on the head `tells the user whether the cross bar is parallel to or crosswise of the slot.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention will 'become apparent to those versed in the art as a preferred embodiment ofthe invention is described in detail in the ensuing description and accompanying sheet of drawings, the gures of which are described below.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of the T-bolt assembly, shown at approximately twice the size that would beused for the attachment of vehicle license plates, for example.

FIGURE 2 is a section, somewhat reduced from the scale of FIGURE l, showing a prelimin-ary'phase of installation. Y

FIGURE 3 shows the nal phase of installation.

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the installation of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a plan View, partly in section, showing of rust-proof plated metal and has a cross bar 12, an externally threaded `shank 14, a head 16, a nut 18 and a washer 20. The shank is rigid with and perpendicular to the cross bar and projects'toutwardly to an outer or front. terminal end constituted by the head 16, which is also rigid with the shank. The head is of a regular polygonal shape, here a hexagon, coaxial with the shank and adapted to receive a typical wrench.

The nut 1S is also preferably a hexagon, largerthan the head and is threaded onto the shank before the shank is united to the cross bar (or before the head is united to the shank), Likewise, the washer is pre-installed. This provides aV unit assembly including all the components Y needed. Obviously, a lock Washer could be preliminarily added orV substituted for the washer 20.

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One end of the cross bar 12 is tapered or of reduced dimension, as at 22 which, as shown in FIGURE 5, lslips easily through even partially registered slots and facilitates insertion :of the T-bolt through such slots as those shown at 24 and 26, `for example, of a vehicle license plate 28 and 'bumper 30.

In assembly, the nut `18 is backed off toward the head 16, the washer is moved back toward the nut and the cross bar 12 is inserted through the alined slots 24 and 26 (FIGURES 2 and 5), the user operating entirely from the front. When the cross bar is entirely behind the bumper 3), or its equivalent (FIGURE 2), the T-bolt may 'be turned 90 simply by turning the head 16, which may be indicated to the user by a mark, such as a screwdriver slot 3-2, across the front radial face of the head 16, since this mark is indexed with the cross bar by being .l alined therewith.

The nut may now be spun into finger-tightness. For

Vfinal tightening two wrenches may be employed. Since the head 16 is smaller than the nut, a box wrench of the correct size will pass the head and tit the nut. A second and smaller wrench, titting the head, will enable the user to iinish the job quickly and easily. Of course, a screwdriver could be used in the head slot 32 if desired. Disassembly involves merely reversing the foregoing.

It will thus be seen Vthat a simple and inexpensive fastener has been provided, one that eliminates the n-uisance of attachment and detachment of license plates for example. Features and advantages other than those enumerated vwill readily occur to those versed in the art, as willV alterations in the preferred embodiment disclosed, all without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A1. A T-bolt, comprising: a cross bar; a cylindrical, externally threaded shank rigidly secured at one end to an intermediate portion of said cross bar and extending perpendicularly therefrom to an outer terminal end; a head rigid on said terminal end and shaped as a regular polygon coaxial with and of a diametrical dimension greater than said shank and adapted to receive a wrench; a nut threadedly carried by the shank between said head and cross bar and confined against axial removal from the shank by said head and cross bar and shaped as a regular polygon on the axis of said shank and adapted t-o receive a wrench, the major radial dimension of the nut being greater than that of the head. A

2. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: the

Vpolygonal shapes of the head and nut are the same.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A T-BOLT, COMPRISING: A CROSS BAR; A CYLINDRICAL, EXTERNALLY THREADED SHANK RIGIDLY SECURED AT ONE END TO AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID CROSS BAR AND EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY THEREFROM TO AN OUTER TERMINAL END; A HEAD RIGID ON SAID TERMINAL END AND SHAPED AS A REGULAR POLYGON COAXIAL WITH AND OF A DIAMETRICAL DIMENSION GREATER THAN SAID SHANK AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A WRENCH; A NUT THREADEDLY CARRIED BY THE SHANK BETWEEN SAID HEAD AND CROSS BAR AND CONFINED AGAINST AXIAL REMOVAL FROM THE SHANK BY SAID HEAD AND CROSS BAR AND SHAPED AS A REGULAR POLYGON ON THE AXIS OF SAID SHANK AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A WRENCH, THE MAJOR RADIAL DIMENSION OF THE NUT BEING GREATER THAN THAT OF THE HEAD. 